HARRY POTTER AND THE ONES WHO WAIT
by WallnutShadow
Summary: In every war in history, there are those who have to stay behind as their husbands, sons and friends go to battle. The ones who wait, however, have their own battles to fight. As the golden trio hunt horcruxes, Ginny, Neville and Luna return to Hogwarts. What challenges must they face and how will they resist the new regime?
1. Chapter 1: The Arivals

Chapter 1: THE ARRIVALS

Ginny Weasley stood by her window and stared out at the star strewn sky outside. It felt like ages ago that her holiday had started, but in reality it had only been two weeks. In that time she had thought things through about a thousand times, but still not come to any conclusions that she hadn't known before leaving Hogwarts, her school.

She knew very well that her ex boyfriends life could not include her. At least it couldn't until he had defeated lord Voldamort. Being with him would put her and her family in danger. She had already once been used as bate and that was long before she and Harry Potter had been more than aquaintences. It had been purely the fact that she was Ron's sister, the sister of Harry's best friend. She was also aware that Harry couldn't be distracted by strong feelings for a member of the opposite sex at that important time. All his energy, time and consentration had to be with defeating Voldamort and not maintaining a relationship.

Yet, Ginny couldn't simply cut off her feelings for him and still missed him badly every day. She couldn't help being a little more than appropriately excited that Harry would arrive to stay with them the next day until he turned seventeen. Maybe even until after Bill and his lovely but annoying wife, Fleur's wedding. She grimaced. They had been so busy with those arangements that Ginny had hardly had any time for herself lately.

She sank back onto her bed, closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

Several hours later, she had still not managed to do so. She got up and tiptoed through the house to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. After setting the round copper kettle to boil, she sat herself down at the kitchen table and watched the kettle sleepily open a copper eye. It hissed some steam out of the spout, somehow making it evident that it wasn't happy to be disturbed at this hour.

Ginny ignored it and looked up at the strange clock on the wall. All the hands were at mortal perrel. Glancing at the slightly more ordinary watch on her arm, she found out that it was four o'clock. She poured her tea and sat herself down again, sipping thoughtfully.

When she had finished she got up and made her way to the shed where the family brooms were kept. She removed her broom, feeling like an early morning flight around the house. She stepped out into the chilly morning air, walked out a little way on the grass and mounted the old broom. Pushing herself off the ground, she sailed upwards gracefully, like a bird in flight. She immediately felt refreshed and exhillerated. She took a turn around the corner and sped up, shooting past little windows. She ascended to above the roof of the crooked house and even higher above the trees, then looked down on the countryside beneath her. The Burrow was a distant speck far below. Everything was green and in the distance she saw a river merrily gurgling along. She considered going for an early morning swim, but decided against it. She flew down and perched on the roof of The Burrow, laughing with glee. She wondered what it would have been like if Harry were with her at that moment. He had always told her that she looked most beautiful to him when her long golden red hair was flowing out behind her, catching the sun on the quiddich pitch. No, she must take her mind off Harry Potter now. feeling a bit deflated, she descended a little way.

"Pssst..." She heard a noise from a window level with her and looked around. Hermione's head was sticking out. "Morning," said Ginny. "Up so early?" "Look whose talking," said Hermione smiling. "Did you sleep at all last night?" "No, couldn't," answered Ginny. "I suppose I can understand that. Come down and wait for me. I'm coming to make myself a cup of tea." Hermione's curly head vannished and Ginny flew down and landed gracefully on the dewy green grass. She made her way to the kitchen door, stopping to put her broom away in the shed.

Swinging the kitchen door open, she saw Hermione in her dressing gown putting two cups out in front of the steaming kettle. "Do you think they'll let me come with you this afternoon when you fetch Harry?" enquired Ginny. "Actually I don't think they will, but it's really unfair, because I'm only a year younger than you and Ron."

Hermione shrugged. "You never know, but I also doubt it somehow," she said, pushing a stray lock of brown hair out of her face. "I suppose they're thinking in terms of you not being of age yet."

"Well neither is Harry, come to think of it," said Ginny, "And he's faced you-know-who more often than anyone of age I know. Luna and I were at the ministry too in our fourth year and did just as well as you lot, plus we fought duzzens of death eaters last term."

"Yes, I know it's not fair, but I wasn't the one who suggested you don't come, Gin, Calm down," Hermione turned around and leaned against the cupboard. "Maybe if you, I don't know, really stay on your mother's good side today she'll let you."

"Fat chance," snorted Ginny. "And even if she agrees, Dad won't let me, and if they both agree, then there are the rest of the order members to stop me. I mean, do you see Madeye inviting me along?"

"Well, not quite," admitted Hermione. "I suppose your mom would be expecting you to help tend anyone who got wounded when we get back anyway."

Ginny kicked at the table leg moodily. "It's going to be a drag at Hogwarts without any of you there."

"You'll still have Luna and Nevil," said Hermione soothingly, "I suppose you'll be having a better time than we will be having."

"Easy for you to say," retorted Ginny. "you're the one going with them, while I have to sit in Hogwarts worrying myself sick about my ex-boyfriend, my best friend and my brother. It's not as easy as you might think."

"Well, I understand what you mean, I suppose," Hermione set a steaming cup of tea in front of Ginny, "I haven't looked at it in that way."

She moved around the kitchen table and sat herself across from Ginny, who was sipping at her tea in silence.

After a few minutes of this, Ginny finally spoke in an unsteady voice. "Um, Hermione, when you leave, ... I mean when you, Harry and Ron leave on your mission, please just ..." she trailed off.

"Yes?"

"Please just be as careful as you can be and please ... well ... look after Harry for me," finished Ginny, blushing slightly, yet looking Hermione straight in the face. "I know it sounds silly, but I just think he can be a little reckless at times, and frankly, I'm terrified of losing him."

Hermione got up and moved around the table to put a comforting arm around her. "I promise, Ginny, I'll do my best."

"Thanks," said Ginny. She laid her head on Hermione's shoulder and wondered if this would be the last time she would hug her friend.

Ginny was tired of living in fear, but knew it could only get worse. That afternoon, many of her family and friends would be putting their lives in danger. Soon enough, Harry, Ron and Hermione would be off on their mission and she would be far from home, dreading each owl that flew into the great hall at breakfast and hoping and praying that it wasn't for her, and if it was, that it wasn't bad news.

Yet, Ginny refused to let her tears fall, because she new she had to be strong. She had to be strong like Harry, Ron and Hermione, setting off on a terrifying journey, she had to be strong for her parents who were constantly worrying about her and she had to be strong for herself.

Ron had done something to the gool in the attic, making it freckly, red haired and pus juled, apparently resembling himself with spattergroit. No-one from the fallen ministry would dare come close to him, and it would be a good excuse for his absence at school.

Hermione had done memory charms on her own parents and made them forget their true identities and move to Australia, keeping them safe from Voldimort.

Harry was risking his life to protect the wizarding world.

She would have to play her part. She knew it was important to stay positive, so that when the time came to fight, she would be ready.

The day passed at breakneck spead and before Ginny knew it, she was restlessly pacing the kitchen, walking up and down the stairs and wondering the rooms of the Burrow, stopping at every window she passed to look out hopefully at the darkening sky. Everyone had left a few hours ago and Ginny, after many arguments with each individual member of the order, had reluctantly consented to stay at the Burrow with her mother.

Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the clock. Ocasionally she would get up to make tea, or to fetch another healing potion to add to the many bottles lined up in front of her.

Ginny wondered where her friends were at that moment. Were they already on their way to the safehouses belonging to different members of the order? Were they perhaps already there on their way to a portkey? Were they in trouble? Unbidden images of flashes of green light and vivid pictures of falling friends filled her mind and it was all she could do to stay calm. She felt as if the house's walls were closing in on her.

When she couldn't bare being in the house anymore, she went out of the kitchen door to wait on the grass where everyone should be ariving.

The time ticked by and Ginny waited. She paced the little patch of grass a few times and finally settled on the steps. After a while she heard her mother exit the back door behind her and stand at the top of the steps.

A few minutes of bated breath passed, but to Ginny, it felt more like a few hours.

Her mother gave a cry and rushed down the steps. "A portkey!" Ginny hurriedly stood, only to see her mother returning with a worried expression.

"What's wrong? Whose portkey?" asked Ginny, as her stomach lurched uncomfortably. Mrs. Weasley pointed at a rusty oil can.

They settled back down on the steps and as the minutes ticked by, they kept glancing down at their watches.

After another hour of waiting, another portkey had appeared without passengers and Ginny felt the cold fingers of dread attempt to strangle her. Mrs. Weasley had hidden her face in her hands.

Suddenly, a blue blurr appeared and spun into sight. Harry and Hagrid landed on the grass and the silver hairbrush they were using as a portkey tumbled to the ground.

She rushed down the steps and could hear her mother give a cry of relief right behind her.

That night, Ginny lay in her bed thinking about the recent events. Bill, Fleur, Ron and Tonks were also safe, thank goodness, but the bad news had shocked them all. Mad- Eye had been killed.

Thinking about it made Ginny cringe. Since she could remember, he and her father had been friends and colleagues. She had met him in her fourth year when he joined the order. Of course, the imposter in her third year, couldn't count as a real encounter with him.

She had grown very fond of all the order members. Now Mad-eye had gone and Dung Fletcher had deserted him.

The fact that the death eaters knew of the plan was a cause for worry, as it ment that someone in the order must have let something slip, but, like Harry, Ginny couldn't bring herself to believe it of any of them.

Severus Snape had been the one who cursed George. She clenched her fists under the covers. She wondered if he'd dare show his face back in Hogwarts. No-one thought he would, but Ginny suspected that, with all the goings on lately, it would only be a matter of time before the ministry would be under Voldemort's control, and that would mean there would be absolutely no reason why Snape couldn't return to Hogwarts. Everything would be under the control of Voldemort and his death eaters. She shivered.

Before that happened, however, some positive things were on the horizon and Ginny would have to make the most of them so as to have something to hold on to when the summer came to an end.

Bill and Fleur's wedding was around the corner and Ginny suspected that her mother would put them all to work, helping to tidy the house, cooking, wrapping presents and doing anything that would keep them all firmly under her control.

When Ron had told her that he, Harry and Hermione would be leaving school, she had forbidden him to do anything of the sort, but Ron had argued with her, firmly sticking to his point, but trying to put it as gently as possible. The rest of the family had stayed deathly quiet on that evening as they listened to the strangely mature Ron reasoning with their increasingly histeric mother. Ginny had been shocked and upset, but had eventually decided, along with her father and the rest of the family, to support Ron in every possible way. The evening had culminated in her sobbing mother rushing from the room and another sleepless night in which Ginny, Fred and George hadn't even bothered going to bed.

The next morning, her mother had acted as if nothing had happened. She bustled around the house, ordering everyone around as usual, but Ginny had noticed how her eyes frequently flickered towards her children, Ron in particular.

From that day on, all of them had been kept busy with wedding arangements. Her mother went into denial, refusing to talk of anything but the wedding and even buying Ron's school books from Diagon alley along with Ginny's. But even so, there was a certain excitement in aranging something as joyous as a wedding in this troubled time. Ginny saw it as an act of rebellion against the terror being spread all over the country, as an act of defiance against the very existance of the darkness.

But first, Harry's birthday. She suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. What could she give him? She would have no opportunity of getting anywhere near Diagon Alley soon and her father had recently lectured them all on using the owl order services.

There had apparently been five reports in the last month alone of advertisement hoaxes in the Dayly Profit, offering products that could be ordered for delivery. Instead of delivering the products, however, the owls would deliver curses packaged in innocently disguised boxes.

Still, Ginny wanted to give him something that he could take with him on his journeys. Something that would remind him of her and make him smile if he was lonely. Something that would keep her, Ginny, firmly fixed in his mind, and she had to admit, something that might prevent him from forgetting her for another woman.

After several minutes of deliberation, she suddenly made up her mind what her gift to Harry would be. Lying back on her pillows, she closed her eyes and finally fell asleep with a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Her sleep, however, was permiated with bad dreams.


	2. Chapter 2: The Return to Hogwarts

Chapter 2: THE RETURN TO HOGWARTS

King's Cross was as busy as usual. People bustling around with trolleys, enormous suitcases, and to the astonishment of muggle passers by, cages containing owls. Now and then, one or two of the strange people with cages and wearing robes would walk straight towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten and then misteriously disappear into nothingness. Strangely, nobody seemed to notice this phenomenon.

A whole prosession of redheads, followed by a gorgious woman with flowing silver hair moved towards the barrier and disappeared one by one. All that was noticed was the strikingly beautiful woman and, to the dismay of many men, a glint from the wedding ring on her finger.

Ginny stood on platform nine and three quarters and glanced at the big scarlott steam engine, into wich many robed school children were crowding. She had mixed feelings about returning to Hogwarts. She didn't want to leave her family, especially knowing that she might not ever see them again, but on the other hand she was desperately looking forward to seeing Nevil and Luna again. The summer had been too long, not that she ever complained about the heat, but she couldn't bare one more day of sitting and doing nothing at home, whilst the order made plans. Also, Luna and Nevil would now be her only links to Harry.

Ginny wasn't the tearful type, but the afternoon after Bill and Fleur's wedding when Harry, Ron and Hermione had left without the chance to say goodbye, she had been inconsolable. Preferring not to show her weekness to her family, she stayed in her room for several hours to cry her tears and get it over with. She had thought of Harry's birthday when they had shared their last kiss, of her brother Ron and how they had had fun playing quiddich with him and how they could tease each other, about Hermione who had probably been her best friend and of the nights lying awake discussing everything from boys to what the Order were planning.

The morning after Bill and Fleur's wedding was one of the worst she had ever experienced.

Ministry officials searching every corner of their house, the fear that the fake Ron would be seen for what it really was, the relentless questioning...

Ginny had been flippent and had thus earned herself diar warnings from the officials. After stalking off to her room, she had been followed a little later by one of them. A big baulding man who had tortured her as a lesson to "show proper respect to her superiors," and ocasionally throwing out questions about Harry's whereabouts.

After losing her temper, regaining her wand, jinxing the official practically into a jelly, having been warned and cursed at by the other questioners after which her mother was in tears, they had all finally left to take the baulding man to Saint Mungo's and while all injuries were being seen to by her very shaken mother, her father had sent off patronuses to everyone to assure them that the family was okay.

"Ginny dear, time to get on the train!" Ginny shook herself and turned to give her family hugs.

After many tearful kisses and hugs bestowed upon her by her mother, only a few less by her father, who was refraining from speaking, many jokes and concerned warnings from the twins and even a hug from Fleur, Ginny was waving at everyone from the window of the train as the train rapidly increased speed.

She waved one last time and then turned away from the window to search for her friends.

Out in the corridor, throngs of students were crowding into compartments, calling greetings to friends, jostling and talking at the top of their voices. They all stared at Ginny as she passed.

Well, she was Harry's girlfriend when she had last seen many of them and somehow, judging by the whispers, everyone already knew that Harry wasn't coming back to school. She supposed it would only be a matter of time before they realised that neither Ron or Hermione were there and she'd be expected to do a lot of explaining.

She hurried past groups of students trying to get her attention, scanning the crowd for Nevil and Luna, but they were nowhere in sight. She supposed they had already found a compartment. She glanced into every compartment as she passed, avoiding the eyes of the occupents until she spotted a girl with long, slightly cleaner than usual, blonde hair and a boy who seemed to be looking for something under a seat, judging by the fact that she could only see his behind.

"Luna! Nevil! I've been looking for you all over!" She slid the compartment door closed behind her.

"Oh, hello Ginny!" Luna got up to hug her friend. "Nevil's lost his toad again. You didn't see him in the corridor, did you?"

Before Ginny could answer, however, Nevil stood triumphantly with a toad clutched in his hand.

"Hi, Ginny." He hugged her.

"Have a good summer?"

"Well, it was okay, discounting the fact that a load of death eaters barged into my brother's wedding," answered Ginny, "Luna was there too."

She and Luna proceeded to tell Nevil all about the wedding and their holidays.

"The cherry on the cake was when Daddy told me about Snape becoming headmaster," finnished Luna.

"What!" Nevil promptly dropped his toad, which immediately scuttled under the seat again. "Snape's the new headmaster after what he did?"

"It isn't surprising though," remarked Ginny, "the ministry has fallen, so you'd expect the death eaters to want complete control of Hogwarts. Did you really think they'd let McGonnigal be head mistress?"

Nevil admitted that she had a point.

"The Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is going to be Amikus Carrow," continued Luna, "and since professor Burbidge disappeared, his sister, Alecto, will be taking Muggle Studies. They're death eaters."

"What fun! I expect we'll be hearing all about their defects." Ginny shrugged.

"Of corse not," exclaimed Nevil. "The majority of students will be too scared to complain."

"I ment the defects of muggles." Ginny grinned. "But speaking of being too scared to complain, I've been thinking the DA will have to reform and do the complaining for the students. Their representatives in a way."

"Ooo, that would be lovely," cried Luna. "I enjoyed DA sessions so much!"

"Only this time it won't be all about learning defence," murmered Nevil. "This time, we'll be making use of them."

"This time, said Ginny, it will be for totally different purposes. Once again, we'll be opposing the ministry, but this time, we'll be doing it to catch attention. Our goal will be to oppose everything Snape, the death eaters, the new ministry order and You Know W ... Voldimort."

"What would that include," asked Luna. "Could we put a nest of nargles in Snape's office, or finksen in the Carrow's tea, to eat their vocal chords, or ..."

"We'll talk about that at our first meeting," Ginny cut Luna's excited ramblings short and grinned at Nevil over Luna's shoulder. "This time we're serious though, Luna. It's going to have to be more than pranks. We're going to have to rebell in harsher ways."

"So no muggleborns at school this year at all," said Nevil mournfully, "but it isn't really unexpected. As you said, it was only a matter of time until that happened since the ministry fell."

"I'm so glad that Hermione's safely off with Harry," Ginny noticed the irony of her words. "Everyone has to present themselves for questioning at the ministry. Dean wrote to me this summer and told me he'd be on the run."

"Off with Harry," Luna tilted her head to the side. "So that's why they're not coming to school? Ron, Harry and Hermione are going to try to defeat You Know Who?"

Ginny could have kicked herself for bringing up the subject and mentioning that Hermione was with Harry. "No, I ment safe with her parents," she quickly corrected herself, "On the run, and Ron's at home with spattergroit."

"Do you really think we're so thick, Ginny," Nevil looked her straight in the eyes, something that he would have been too shy to do in the past. "We know that Hermione would never go on the run with her parents without Harry and Ron, and I'm pretty sure Ron will never be sick enough to let Harry go anywhere on his own."

"Please, let's just drop it." Ginny didn't quite know how to react, but at least she knew that her friends wouldn't breathe a word to anyone.

She felt a twinge of annoyance at Hermione's name being mentioned next to Harry's all the time during Luna and Nevil's observations. She had never been included in the trio, even when she had been going out with Harry. She was close to Harry, close to Hermione and close to Ron, but never close to the trio. Things were always kept from her.

Why should Hermione accompany Harry on his destined trip? Was it because she and Ron were of age? Did one year make such a big difference?

Ginny had to admit that she was slightly afraid. Afraid, and yes, a little jealous. Why should Hermione share so much with Harry? She had always suspected that Hermione was in love with Ron, which definitely was the case from Ron's side, but could it be possible that Hermione had been misleading her? Were she and Harry secretly wishing to be together?

No, she knew that these were thoughts of an overly anxious mind. Once again pushing Harry into a corner at the back of her mind, she turned to continue her conversation with her friends.

Just then, the compartment door slid open and Draco Malfoy entered with his cronies, Crab and Goil.

"This compartment's taken!" Ginny got to her feet.

"Not so fast, Weasley." Malfoy smirked. "It would most definitely not be wise to lose your temper as easily as usual this year. Things are changing at Hogwarts."

"Yeah. There are more of your type to protect your delicate neck," growled Ginny. "I can see you'll be feeling much more confident."

"watch what you're saying, blood traitor," spat Malfoy.

"Or what? You'll set the head master on me? Well, he ran away from the battle last year, so he's just as big a coward as you are."

Crab cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, you'll set these two on me?" Ginny sneered and continued. "Too thick to string the letters of a curse together? Planning to make them beat me up for you?"

"Blood traitors like you will be killed by us by the time this year is over, but we might let some of you girls lick our boots and beg for your lives first for fun." These were the first words Ginny had ever heard Crab speak.

"What did you say?" Nevil had got to his feet and pointed his wand at crab's throat.

"Oh," Longbottom has finally found the courage to defend his hero's girlfriend," said Malfoy maliciously. "I wonder what Potter would say if he knew how fast his tigress found another mate?.

At this point, Ginny lost her patients. "Reducto," she cried. The force of her spell blew Malfoy, Crab and Goil right out of the compartment and sent them crashing down in the passage, amongst other rubble.

Ginny slammed the compartment door shut again and sunk back into her seat.

"This year I'm not taking any of their..." Fuming, she ran out of words to describe her anger.

"Just ignore them," soothed Luna. "We'll just see who has the last laugh when the DA is up and running again."

"what kind of things should we do though," asked Nevil thoughtfully. "I mean, I suppose we could carry on learning new jinxses and countercurses and stuff, because the room of requirement will provide the right books, but what can we do to sabotage Snape's regime?"

"Well," began Ginny, "I was thinking we could..."

Suddenly the compartment door slid open again and a big, burly blonde man was ciluetted in the opening. Ginny recognised him as one of the death eaters she had fought the previous year on the night of Dumbledore's death. He had a nasty, ratlike face.

"Miss Ginevra Weasley, I take it," said the man, pointing at Ginny.

"Yes," she replied stiffly.

"Yes who?"

"I have no idea who you are."

"I am professor Carrow."

Ginny made no reply.

Well?"

"Well what?"

"You ruddy well know what, incilent welp," shouted the man, "Address me properly."

"Yes, Professor?" Ginny put as much contempt in the title as she possibly could.

"Mr. Malfoy has just informed me that you used a curse against him. He hit his head on the wall of the train corridor and he could have been seriously injured. You will be serving detention tomorrow night at my office."

"Yes Professor," replied Ginny, looking him straight in the eye.

He turned and slid the compartment door shut behind him.

"So much for behaving ourselves this year," laughed Ginny.

Nevil, on the other hand, looked slightly worried. "What sort of detentions to you think they'll make us do this year?" he asked.

"Oh, probably lines and so on." Ginny shrugged.

The compartment door once again slid open, this time revealing the usual smiling woman with the trollie. "Anything from the trollie dears?"

Ginny bought a few packets of Chocolate Frogs and Berty Bott's Every Flavoured Beans to share with her friends before shutting the compartment door again.

Ginny had always been more responsible than her brothers, saving her pocket money for special occasions, after which she always seemed to have a few sickles left.

Previously, Ginny had saved up so many gallions as to make her brothers jealous. At the Quiddich world cup she had been able to afford an Ireland rosette, a minniture firebolt, a moving figurine of her favourite chaser on the Irish team, Cara Troy, a shamrock scarf and even a pair of glowing leprechaun earrings.

The previous year, she had also filled a whole shopping bag with merchandise from Fred and George's shop. She was their favourite sister, so she always got a discount, but having the same understanding of finances as Fred and George, she could understand their not wanting to give out free products to siblings, especially in such a large family.

The rest of the journey passed amicably, talking, eating Every Flavoured Beans and Chocolate Frogs and even ocasionally laughing.


	3. Chapter 3: Song of the Sorting Hat

Chapter 3: SONG OF THE SORTING HAT

The sky outside was getting darker and lamps started lighting themselves. The weather looked dreary and so did the passing students that Ginny could see in the corridors on her way to change into her robes.

Soon the train came to a stop and Ginny, laiden with her suitcase and her cage containing Arnold, the pigmy puff, made her way to the carriages with Nevil and Luna. She caught sight of Hagrid calling for the first years to join him for the traditional boat ride across the lake, and waved at him.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and Nevil voiced the hope that the rain would wait until they were safely in the castle. Ginny remembered the beginning of her third year, the year of the Triwizard Tournament, when they had been drenched at arival. Luna merely stared dreamily into the distance.

At arival, the students all disembarked from the carriages and made their way through the entrance hall. Nearby, Ginny could hear Erny McMillen discussing his summer with Hannah Abbit. Everyone sounded carefree and cheerful, but Ginny wondered if they even knew what they were all about to face. She suspected that they didn't have a clue. Their friend, Justin, wasn't with them. She wondered if they knew that he was probably in hiding, along with thousands of other muggleborns in the country. Hannah, whose mother had been murdered the previous year, seemed more subdewed than usual, but the atmosphere at arival seemed much as it always had been.

Entering the great hall, Ginny was almost surprised to see that nothing had changed. The festive tables with golden plates, cups and candles hovering overhead were exactly the same and the ceiling showed the cloudy sky that they had just seen outside. In a way, she had been expecting some sort of difference now that Dumbledore was dead and Snape, of all people, was headmaster, but everything looked exactly as it always did.

Waving a hasty goodbye to Luna, who sat at the Ravenclaw table, Ginny seated herself next to Nevil at the Gryffindor table and glanced around the hall. She spotted professor McGonagall sitting next to professor Flitwick at the staff table, deep in grave conversation. A few seats away from them was Slughorn, round as ever, merrily chatting to professor Sprout. On his other side sat Hagrid.

Ginny was hard put not to jump up and run to him, but she simply waved when he looked over to the Gryffindor table. He smiled at her and they exchanged a worried glance.

Ginny knew that the loss of Dumbledore had hit Hagrid particularly hard. He had always been devoted to Dumbledore for letting him stay at Hogwarts as game keeper after his expultion in his third year, and for trusting him enough to higher him as the Care Of Magical Creatures teacher in Ginny's second year.

Ginny guessed that Hagrid, like herself, felt something was gravely amiss. No Dumbledore seated at the head of the staff table. No Harry, Ron and Hermione. Hagrid had been close to the trio since they started their school days and now, there was no-one to go down to his place for tea, save Ginny. Maybe she could convince Nevil and Luna to accompany her ocasionally this year.

At the head of the staff table, as bold as brass, sat Severus Snape. His curtains of black hair were a little less greasy than usual, but his large hooked nose and expression of icy contempt were exactly the same.

Ginny wondered if he had no shame. She wondered if he didn't feel out of place, sitting in the chair belonging to the man he had killed. She supposed not. He showed no emotion at all. He suddenly met her gaze. He had noticed that she was looking at him. Instead of breaking the eye contact, she kept her eyes locked on his, waiting for him to look away first. He didn't.

Only when professor McGonagal left her seat and walked out of the hall did he turn his gaze to the big double doors through which the first years would soon come. Ginny felt as if she had won her first battle, even though she hadn't strictly stared her headmaster down. He had looked away first, and she would take hold of any straws to stay positive this year.

After a few minutes, professor McGonagal reappeared carrying the old patched sorting hat, followed by a much smaller group of first years than usual. Ginny supposed the reduced numbers were a result of the new law that muggleborns were no longer allowed at Hogwarts.

Professor McGonagal placed the hat on a chair at the front of the great hall and stood to one side. A large rip near the brim of the hat opened and it began to sing.

"Long ago in better times

the founders four of late,

an object to divide the school

and students, did create.

Yes, it was I, the sorting hat,

created to divide,

Hard working, clever, ambitious, brave,

All placed as I decide.

And, it was I, the sorting hat,

though I may have no ears,

who realised something must be wrong

by listening through the years,

How quarrels broke out everywhere,

How friends turned into foes.

"So stand strong from within," I said,

that's how the story goes.

Yet none of you took my advice

and now there is a war.

It's your decision from now on,

And it shall be your chore.

In my days blood was only blood

and people all the same

But nowadays your status lies

within your pureblood name.

Therefore, I shall let you decide

in which house you should be.

The times have changed, but I have not,

so don't rely on me.

Don't even try to stop me now,

I have made up my mind.

If this is it, then count me out,

Yes, I have just resigned."

A startled silence followed this dramatic announcement. Then an outbreak of muttering. "The sorting hat? Resign? What?"

Even professor McGonagal seemed shaken and unsure what to do. After a pause of a few minutes, however, she briskly turned, swept the hat off the stool and said in an almost triumphant tone, "Well, you heard it. The hat will no longer sort students into houses. Our late headmaster," she cleared her throat, "once mentioned that your choices, far more than your abilities, determine what kind of person you really are, so I suggest all first years now join the table of their choice. Gryffindor house is known for the bravery, courage and daring of its students. Ravenclaw is known, well, perhaps each individual head of house should explain that to you." She beckoned to professors Sprout, Flitwick and Slughorn.

Ginny had wondered who would be the head of Slytherin now that Snape had become headmaster. Slughorn had been the head of Slytherin when he had taught at Hogwarts before, so she had guessed that it might be him.

Each head of house gave a brief description of the qualities that distinguished each house from the others and the students were told that they would be called up one by one to make their choice.

Professor Mc'Gonagal cleared her throat and read off the first name on her list.

"Braidy, Lester."

A small, but confident looking boy walked up to professor Mc'Gonagal and said in a ringing voice, "Slytherin."

A cheer rose from the Slytherin table and Lester Braidy walked proudly towards them and took a seat.

"Castle, Garry."

A mischievous looking boy with a gypsy face walked up to professor Mc'Gonagal and defiantly looking at his peers, said firmly, "Gryffindor."

Ginny clapped and cheered along with the rest to welcome Garry to their table. She decided to see to it that the Gryphindor first years would be left alone by bullying students from other houses.

Carstens, Keath was called up next and he became the first new Ravenclaw. Kent, Bryan became a Slytherin and so did Terence, Carl. The first new Hufflepuff was a very nervous looking girl with golden locks, named Sky Smith. Then followed thirty-four Slytherins, twenty-five Hufflepuffs, twenty-seven Ravenclaws and nineteen Gryffindors.

After everyone was seated, Snape pushed back his chair and stood. The hall immediately went quiet. It wasn't the respectful silence that Ginny was used to, but the silence of the grave.

"Good evening. It is my pleasure to introduce the new teachers to you. Professor Amicus Carrow," he pointed at the man who had spoken to Ginny on the train, "will be taking the Dark Arts classes from now on and professor Alecto Carrow," a stubby woman who closely resembled Amikus stood up, "will be taking Muggle Studies."

There were no cheers for the new teachers.

Snape sat down, and Ginny could hear surprised murmers about the abruptness of Snape's speech. Only one word of this had registered with Ginny. "The Dark Arts?" she said to Nevil, who was piling chicken legs onto his golden plate. "What is this?"

Nevil grimmaced darkly. "Spose we could have expected it. Why would they want to teach us to defend ourselves against them? And what happened to professor Birbage? I thought she taught Muggle Studies."

Ginny shrugged and reached across Richie Coot, a classmate and a member of the previous year's quiddich team, for a piece of chicken pie.

"Snape's speech was very short, wasn't it," he said to her as she settled back in her seat. "I suppose he's saving the long one for after everyone's eaten," said Jimmy Peaks, Richie's fellow beater and another classmate of Ginny's.

"I've never seen him as much of a speech maker though," said Nevil, stabbing moodily at a boiled potato.

"Good thing too," said Ginny, "I'm going to have a job holding my tongue this year."

She glanced across the table. Seamus Finnigan, a boy in Nevil's year, was picking at his food with a frown creasing his forehead. Ginny realized, with an unpleasant jolt, that his best friend and her ex boyfriend, Dean Thomas, was also bound to be on the run. Of course, he was also muggle born. She could feel her mouth go dry, despite the gulp of pumpkin juice she had just taken.

"Hello Seamus," she said tentatively.

He started. "Oh, hello Ginny," he said, trying to give her his normal broad grin, but faling. "Urr, how was your summer?"

"My brother got married," answered Ginny, thinking on the more pleasant parts of her summer, before Ron, Harry and Hermione had left. "How was yours?"

"Okay, I suppose," said Seamus, sounding unsure.

Just then, nearly headless Nick, the cheerful ghost of Gryffindor house glided over to sit next to Seamus. "Welcome back, dear friends," said he. "I trust you all had a tolerable summer?"

"Urr, fine thanks," said Ginny, "How was yours?"

She found it strange to be questioning a ghost about his summer. Somehow, it didn't seem to be the kind of subject one would usually discuss with a ghost.

Before he could answer, Snape stood again and the hall fell silent.

"All new students should be aware that the forest on the grounds of this school is forbidden," he said. "The caretaker, Mr. Filch, wishes me to remind you that all products from the shop Weasley's Wizard Weezes are forbidden, along with an extensive list of other items that you can find tacked up on his office door. All students shall now proceed to their houses."

Once again, he took his seat and the students all left theirs amid a flurry of conversation. Ginny watched as Jimmy, the new prefect from her year, herded the group of first-years out of the great hall, along with Demelza Robins.

Dimelza had played chaser with Ginny on the previous year's quiddich team, captained by Harry. Ginny fingered the glinting captain's badge on her own chest, wondering if she could do half the job he had done. In a way, it was comforting to know that he was the last person who had worn it.

She also wasn't in the least surprised to see that the head boy and girl were both from Slytherin.

She trailed out of the great hall with the rest, Nevil close behind her and made her way up the broad staircase leading to the upper floors.

Suddenly, a little man with a belled hat swooped out of a suit of armour, cackling madly and throwing pieces of chalk at the first-years, who all looked quite alarmed.

"Ickle firsties again," chortled Peeves, the school poltergeist. "Not as many as usual, I see."

"Never mind, said Ginny to the first-years. "This is just Peeves. You'll soon get to know him quite well, and also find out how to avoid him."

"Potty's girlfriend," crowed Peeves. "Caught them snogging many a time, did Peeves."

He swooped through a door that resembled part of the wall and left the first-years looking stunned.

Ginny wondered why Harry had even bothered breaking up with her. Everyone knew well that they had been together the previous year, even if it was for a very short time.

Thoughts of Hermione came unbidden to her head again, but she firmly pushed them away. Hermione had practically admitted to Ginny that she had feelings for Ron. It was also obvious that Ron felt the same way. Whether they would ever admit it to each other, was another story.

"Password," said the portret of a fat lady in a frilly pink dress.

"Snargolof," said Jimmy loudly so that all the Gryffindor's would hear.

The portret swung aside and Ginny clambered through the portret hole, followed by Nevil and Seamus.

Waving goodnight, she made her way up the girl's staircase to her dormatory above. This year, it seemed she would be sharing it with the seventh year girls, as most of her previous dormmates had not returned.

"Hello Ginny," said Parvati," who was fixing a poster of the milky way to the foot of her foreposter bed.

"Hi Parvati; Lavender," said Ginny, sparing a glance for Ron's ex girlfriend, who was already putting on her pajamas.

Demelza entered and smiled at the other occupents of the dorm. She had been known to hang around with Ramilda Veign, another of Harry's ardent admirers and Ginny was secretly thankful that they didn't have to share a dorm with the fifth-years as well as the seventh-years.

After exchanging greetings, Ginny started unpacking along with everyone else. Tuning out the chatter, she drew the curtains around her foreposter and settled in between the warm blankets.

She couldn't help thinking of the three empty beds in the boys's dorm, a dorm now only occupied by Nevil and Seamus. But perhaps, she thought, similar arangements would be made to what had happened in theirs. Perhaps they were all sharing a dorm with sixth years.

Turning her mind away from these unpleasant thoughts, she listened to the chatter of the other girls, letting the much less distressing tales of their summers lull her to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: A Very Different First Day

A/N: I would like to appologise for the mistakes I made in the spelling of names in previous chapters. I used a screen reader to read the books, which is

the main reason why I didn't pay much attention, but that's no excuse, I know. Hope you enjoy this one; I'll keep the spelling mistakes to a minimum.

Chapter 4: A very different first day

Ginny pulled her cloak tighter around her as she trailed down the staircase behind the other girls sharing her dorm. So today would be the first day of the new regime, and she was determined to make it the first day of rebellion.

Neville was waiting for her outside the portret hole, accompanied by Seamus.

"Morning," she said cheerily to them, "Let's go and find some breakfast."

"You're in a good mood this morning," said Neville.

Ginny shrugged. "I'm determined to stay positive," she said. "I refuse to let them get me down."

Neither Neville or Seamus asked who, "them," were.

The chatter in the great hall was as loud as usual and Ginny, Neville and Seamus took seats next to each other at their table. Ginny waved at Luna, who had also just arived at her table and smiled to see her friend's strange necklace of butterbeer corks.

Owls started swooping through the windows of the great hall, each with a letter or a package for a student at one of the tables below. Neville, who had as usual forgotten something at home, received a large parcel and a letter from his grandmother.

Ginny scanned the hall for Errol, the family owl. He wasn't immediately visible amongst the many brown, tawny and snowy owls, swooping over each table, so she turned her attention to her breakfast until she saw a grey bundle tumbling down in front of her.

She pushed the jug of pumpkin juice out of the way just in time, and caught the bedraggled bundle of feathers. Untying the letter from his leg, she let him dip his beak into her goblet of pumpkin juice and rest for a while next to her plate.

She removed a piece of parchment from the envelope and settled down to read her letter.

It was from her mother and read as follows:

Ginny dear,

I hope this letter has found you safe and sound. Everyone here is fine. Daddy's off to work as usual and so are Fred and George.

The house feels so empty without you and Bill and Fleur have also left for Shell Cottage, their new home, by now, so it's just Charlie, Ron and I here.

I'm so glad that Charlie's decided to stay in England for a while; I don't know what I would have done without him. I've been trying to convince Fred and George to come back home every day, instead of living in that awful cramped flat above their shop, but they won't hear a word of it. I haven't given up hope yet though.

Ron still isn't anywhere near better yet, so I really don't know when he'll be able to come back to school.

Please write as often as you can, Dear, and tell us all about your time at school. Your education is very important, although I'd much rather have you close to me at home.

Don't forget to try out that new shampoo we bought for you in diagon allie. Its supposed to fix all the split hairs and give it a lovely shine. And remember to eat helthily. You've been losing far too much weight, and you can't expect to keep your strength up if you hardly eat anything.

We love you and think of you all the time.

Love

Mom

Ginny smiled. In the past she would have been annoyed at her mother's tendency to treat her like a child, reminding her of the smallest things, but she had learnt to take it as it was ment. It was her mother's way of showing that she cared, so Ginny had learnt to appreciate it, especially in these times when one could never be quite sure of another letter.

Her mother had also finally reconciled herself with the fact that Ron had left with Harry and Hermione, and the reference to Ron in the letter was obviously added in case the mail was going through a screening process, as Ginny was pretty sure it was.

"Weasley, Longbottom," professor McGonagal had reached their table, "These," she pointed to the pieces of parchment she had just handed Neville and Ginny, "are your new time tables. The only change to yours, Longbottom, is the new compulsory subject of Muggle Studies.

Ginny raised her eyebrows at Neville before he waved to her and hurried off to his first class.

"Miss Weasley, I was very pleased to see you received an outstanding for transfiguration, Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts," continued professor McGonagal, turning to Ginny. "You have also applied to continue with Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, both with an Exceeds Expectations. Very good. You seem to have managed an Acceptable in all your other subjects that you wrote your OWLs on. Most commendable."

Ginny had quite forgotten about her OWL results, that had come early that summer. Her mother had been extatic at her achievements, but at that stage, Ginny could think of nothing but the appending arival of Hermione, Charlie, Bill and the twins, who were all to arive at the Burrow that afternoon.

Never the less, she couldn't help feeling a strain of pride at professor McGonagal's rare praise.

"You will, of course, also be taking a sixth subject this year, along with everybody else." Professor McGonagal's mouth thinned slightly. "Muggle Studies."

"Why, Professor," asked Ginny.

"Because the establishment requires it," said professor McGonagal, a little sharply. With a softer tone, however, she added, "Do watch your tongue when speaking to the new professors, Weasley. It is possible that insolence could earn you more than a detention."

On this ominous note, she moved further along the table.

Ginny stood up, and proceeded to her first class, Care of Magical Creatures, which she was glad to see she would be starting her morning with.

Ginny felt her spirits lift as she walked down to Hagrid's hut. He was standing at his door, big and bearded, but with the familiar crinkle around his eyes which were almost always indicative of the smile that was hidden in his beard.

The rest of the class who had decided to continue with Care of Magical Creatures were already grouped around him. these included Richie Coot, Jimmy Peaks, Luna, Terry Boot and Susan Bones. Obviously there were few enough of them to combine the classes from all the houses.

"Welcome to yer firs sixth year class," boomed Hagrid. "Got summat quite special ter show yeh today!"

"Hello Hagrid," said Ginny and Neville together.

Ginny was feeling rather excited. She enjoyed learning about new creatures. She supposed it wouldn't be the most useful NEWT class she would take, but at least it would be fun.

Hagrid led the small group to the back of his hut to a fenced inclosure like a cage, with many suspended structures on the inside. Luna, Ginny and Susan gasped in delight at the brightly plumed birds pirched on these structures, or grooming themselves in a small pool of water at the bottom of this enclosure. These birds, when standing on the ground, were about as high as Ginny's knee, with very round heads.

"All righ! Fwoopers! Ter day yer goin' ter learn how ter get 'em ter give yeh feathers fer quills," explained Hagrid. "They're from Africa, and I had ter put silencin' charms on 'em. Imported all the time fer the makin' of quills, but if yer listen to 'em sing fer too long you go crazy."

Hagrid walked to the gate of one of the enclosures, swung it opened and motioned the class to follow him inside. As soon as they were inside, the birds flew down from their pirches and wadddled closer curiously.

"Hagrid, have you ever heard one of them sing?" asked Luna.

"Ar," grunted Hagrid. Make a Beau'iful sound, bu' its dangerous ter keep listenin'. A wizard they called Uric the Oddball once tried ter prove that it was actually good fer yeh ter listen to 'em, but after three months he turned up at the meetin' of the wizard's council wearing nothin' bu' a dead badger on his head!"

The class laughed.

Hagrid then told them to each choose a fwooper and to commence stroking it the wrong way around letting their fingers slide beneath the feathers, especially focusing on the area of the back between the wings. There were orange, yellow, lime green and pink ones. Ginny chose a lime green, and knelt down in front of it.

"Look Hagrid!" called Terry Boot excitedly, "Mine's laid an egg!"

Ginny glanced over at Terry's yellow fwooper, which had indeed just laid a bright orange egg with yellow speckles around it.

By the end of the class, each of them had coaxed their birds to drop a feather for them, which Hagrid showed them how to fashion into quills with a simple spell, which he guiltily demonstrated with use of his umbrella.

They all walked back up to the castle, each of them rather pleased with themselves and showing off their brightly coloured quills. Richie's fwooper had been the first to donate a flame-like orange feather, and Hagrid had awarded Grifindore ten points.

The thought of the next class, however, was giving Ginny an uncomfortable knot in her stomach. Muggle Studies with Alecto Carrow. As this was a manditory class for the whole school, the Gryffindor sixth and seventh years were taking the class together. Ginny met Neville and Seamus at the bottom of the staircase leading to the Muggle Studies class room and they lined up behind Parvati and Lavender. The door opened and professor Carrow appeared. Ginny couldn't think of anyone that she had ever found uglier. Even Pansy Parkenson seemed pretty in comparison to this particular hag.

The class filed in at her command, and Ginny took a seat at the back of the class with Neville and Seamus. Sitting up straight, she stared defiantly at the front of the classroom where the professor was standing, arms folded, looking blankly at the students and waiting for silence.

"She's uglier than Umbridge!" said Seamus loudly.

"Order!" barked professor Carrow. "I wish to begin."

The class fell silent and the professor started pacing slowly up and down in front of them.

"So! I will be doing role call in each class, and if I read your name and you ain't here, you'll be doin detention, ya hear? Now, Lavender Brown…"

Ginny started doodling on the piece of parchment in front of her. Losing concentration, she wondered again what Harry, Ron and Hermione were doing. If only Harry still had his owl. Perhaps he could have sent a letter before moving on to a new place. Obviously he wouldn't be able to give any information about where they were and what they were doing, but at least they could let her and the rest of the family know that they were still alive and well. But Harry's owl was dead, and Ron didn't have one. Only Hermione still had her pet, and Crookckshanks was staying at The Burrow, being fed by Ginny's mother.

"Weasley! Ginevra Weasley!"

Ginny looked up from what had turned out to be a drawing of Crookshanks.

"What?"

"Don't you speak to me like that, missy, and answer me when I call your name," said Alecto Carrow.

"Yes, I'm obviously present," snapped Ginny.

"Yes who?"

Ginny sighed. "Yes Professor."

Carrow turned away and scribbled a few lines on the blackboard.

"So! An introduction to muggles," she sat down at her desk and hunched her shoulders even more than usual. "First thing you need to know is that muggles are murderers. They don't belong in a peaceful pureblood society."

She waited a few seconds for her words to sink in. Students were exchanging glances and rolling their eyes.

"Because muggles were jealous of witches and wizards, they would seek them out and burn them. Yes! Burn them! For no crime at all! They were afraid of their powers, so they would torture them, hang them, nail them to crosses, burn them" Carrow's voice had reached a dramatic creschendo. "and, her voice dropped again, "murder them!"

Ginny's hand was in the air.

"Yes, Weasley?"

"Professor, we learnt in History of Magic that witches and wizards could perform a basic flame freezing charm, or whatever it was, and then they wouldn't get burnt. They would just pretend," said Ginny.

"Weasley, are you trying to imply that the fact that innocent witches and wizards had a protection mechanism makes what muggles did quite alright? Are you?"

"No professor," said Ginny, "But…"

"Muggles are murderers!" thundered Carrow.

"But professor," said Seamus, his hand in the air, "Muggles had good reason to fear witches and wizards. Me mam told me that some witches and wizards placed curses on families of muggles when someone from the family had offended them in some way. Me mam says that in the town she grew up in, there was a family that lost each first born son and…"

"We are working here with fact!" spat Carrow. "We don't need to hear your…" she sneered" "mam's … old wives tales. So if you have finished telling me stupid stories, I will continue with the lesson."

Carrow lectured on and on about the inferiority of muggles, and Ginny, having lost concentration, went back to her drawing.

She was brought back to reality again when she felt Neville jab her sharply in the ribs. She sat up straight and saw Parvati's hand in the air.

"Professor," she said. "I don't really understand why we should look down on muggles. Its like when someone hates someone else for having a different skin colour. And its not fair to hate muggles now for what some of them did in the past. I mean, I don't hate all British people because some of their ancestors invaded and exploited India once. I've lived in Britain for most of my life, so I even see myself as British. Why can't we forgive?"

"Patil, you'd better be thankful that England invaded India, or you'd never be at a school as good as this," said Carrow. "This is a British school, and I bet your people don't even understand what education means."

Parvati looked highly affronted and opened her mouth to say something, but Carrow cut her off. "No more comments! I am here to teach, not to hear the opinions of whelps who don't know what they're talking about."

She continued to ramble on, but this time Ginny stayed sitting up straight. Seamus was muttering a rich variety of swearwords next to her and Neville was clenching his fists so tightly that Ginny could see his nuckles turn white.

"Muggles are not only murderers," continued Carrow. "They are also stupid. They have an inferior intellect to wizards. If you study a muggle's skull, you will notice that it is differently shaped to the skulls of witches and wizards. Their stupidity partly explains why they are so vicious. They are like animals in the wild. No morals, just animal drives."

"Professor," said Neville loudly, without even putting his hand in the air, "Professor, how much muggle blood have you and your brother got?"

The whole class gasped.

"Alecto got up slowly from her desk and walked over to Neville with her wand drawn.

"What did you say, Longbottom?"

"I asked how much muggle blood you and your brother have," repeated Neville without flinching.

Carrow made a slashing movement with her wand, and a very deep gash appeared in Neville's cheek and immediately started to gush blood.

"Oh my goodness Neville," Ginny had leapt to her feet. "Come!"

"That is what happens to silly children that try to be cheaky in my class," said Carrow. "Weasley, I did not dismiss the class!"

But Ginny had already dragged Neville to the door. She pushed him through and slammed the door in Carrow's face, who had started to come after them.

The rest of the day passed relatively uneventfully, except for Ginny's visit with Neville to the hospital wing where madam Pomfrey had almost burst into angry tears and ranted about teachers who were unfit to set their feet in classrooms as she did what she could for Neville's cheek. It turned out that she could only stop it bleeding and use some dittany on it to help the healing process along a little. Ginny thought it still looked terrible and madam Pomfrey said that it would probably scar.

Neville shrugged it off as if nothing had happened, but that was more than could be said for the other teachers. In transfiguration, professor McGonagall's mouth became particularly thin when she spotted Neville's face as he waited outside Ginny's class with her and she was distracted throughout the lesson, barking instructions that were meant for other classes and scribbling away at a piece of parchment that she eventually rolled up towards the end of the lesson and handed to Richie to take to professor Snape. Professor Flitwick, in turn, looked so shaken when he finally entered his class that he instructed the students in a squeakier voice than usual to just talk amongst themselves about the holidays since it was still the first day back and all.

For once in her life, Ginny thought it was good that they did not have Defense Against the Dark Arts until the next day.

When she, Neville and Seamus were finally sitting at the Gryffindor table eating dinner, Ginny broached the subject of the DA.

"Neville," she said, "I think we should meet tonight."

"What?" he asked, his mouth full of chicken pie.

"I mean just you, me and Luna," explained Ginny. "To decide when the first DA meeting will be and how we're going to let them know."

"Yeah, okay, I 'spose we can catch Luna after dinner and meet in a corridor somewhere before we go back to the common room," said Neville, "After all, we don't have much to discuss." He lowered his voice. "We'll meet in the room of requirement as usual, but we'll have to word it so that the room will let absolutely nobody in. And we can use those coins that Hermione gave us to send messages to the other old DA members."

As Ginny leaned back in her chair, she felt a little more positive for the first time since that morning. It was nice to know that something would finally happen. Despite the fact that she and her friends would be putting themselves in danger, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief and something close to excitement that she would finally be able to do something to resist the awful things that were happening, like Harry, Ron and Hermione. She would not be sitting still wondering where they were; she would be fighting. And in some small way, she would have her revenge on Tom Riddle.


	5. Chapter 5: The Cabinet and the Crown

Chapter 5: The Cabinet and the Crown

"This is the last time you will be coming to the chamber with me, Ginny," his voice was uncharacteristically harsh to her ears.

"No Tom, I told you I wouldn't go there anymore. I know you've been making me hurt my friends!"

"You will do as I say!"

Ginny felt herself involuntarily get to her feet and start walking.

"No! No, I won't go," she screamed in her head, trying to stop her legs from moving.

"Of course you will. You said you would do anything for me, Ginevra. Are your promises as empty as your silly little head?"

"Why are you doing this, Tom?" Ginny's voice broke. "You call me such mean things these days. I know you want to get rid of muggleborns, and I know I said I wouldn't help you, but don't you still love me?"

"Shut up," his voice was even harsher. "Just shut up and do as you are told."

The tears flowed freely down her cheeks now as she approached the wall where she now understood Tom had made her write on the night that Filch's cat had been petrified.

"No Tom, please no!"

"Write!"

She felt the small knife she kept in her robes slice into her wrist, directed by her own hand. Felt the quill she used to write in the diary collect the blood that dripped from it. Felt herself write, but she closed her eyes. When her hand finally stilled, she reopened them and read the message she had just written…

… "Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever."

"No! Tom, Please! Please!"

Ginny awoke thrashing around in her sweat soaked sheets. Obviously she hadn't screamed, as the girls in the beds on either side of her were still fast asleep. She sat up and reached for the water glass on her bedside table.

It was less the prospect of her impending death that had burrowed into the corners of her mind, Ginny thought, than the incredible betrayal of someone she had trusted. Even after she had learnt that Tom was not to be trusted, there was a part of her that had thought he would care enough to keep her safe at all times. He was right. She had definitely been a naïve, silly little girl.

It was only about a half an hour before the other girls usually woke up, so Ginny dragged herself out of her bed so as to be the first to shower. She could still feel the blood coating her wrists and hands and she could feel it caked beneath the long fingernails she had grown over the summer, and she could do a whole lot of scrubbing in thirty minutes.

So today was the day, she reflected as the scalding water wet her tousled hair. After the very brief discussion they had had with Luna in the corridor the previous night, Neville had sent the date and time of the first meeting to all previous DA members. It was to be that night at half past seven in the room of requirement. Neville had not spoken to any of the message recipients, and sent only the date and time. He had felt that it wouldn't be necessary to let anyone know what it was about. Surely, he had reasoned, it would be obvious. Ginny was less sure, and wondered how many previous DA members would turn up. Not only because they might not understand the message on the coin, but because this time the risk was far greater. Expulsion was the least of their worries.

She finally stepped out of the shower, her skin red and raw from the hot water and the scrubbing. Re-entering her dormitory, she found that her other roommates were awake.

"Good morning!" said Dimelza brightly to Ginny. She brushed past clad in a towel, clearly also on her way to shower.

"Morning Dimelza," replied Ginny, "Morning Parvati."

"Morning Ginny," Parvati was undoing her long black braid and combing through it with her fingers. The morning sun filtering through the window gave it a glossy shine. "Lav, say good morning to Ginny."

"Mmm," Lavender burrowed deeper into her blankets.

Ginny sat on the edge of her bed and started combing through her own wet tresses.

"So, um, Gin?" began Parvati in a lowered voice, "I saw the message last night."

"Good," replied Ginny shortly. Like Lavender, she was not much of a morning person, despite her early rising.

"Same place as year before last?" Parvati's question made it clear to Ginny that she had understood the message.

"Yeah," she said, "Should be safer than last time. Neville said you have to word it differently."

"What's that mean?" asked Parvati.

"No idea. But Neville seams to know how it works, so…" Ginny trailed off as she watched a small speck grow larger in the sunrise.

It was the old family owl again, baring another letter from her mother. This one contained much the same message as the day before. Assurances that everyone was alright, fake information about how the fake Ron was doing, and endless bits of trivial advice about how Ginny should eat, do her hair, and schedule her homework.

Ginny got out a quill and parchment and set it on her bedside table, uncomfortably hunching over to answer her mother's letter as the other girls showered and got ready for breakfast.

Finally rolling it up, she attached it to Errol's leg and allowed him to drink some water from her jug before sending him off into the sunlit sky outside her window.

Pulling her robes hurriedly over her head, she rushed down the stairs behind Lavender, the last to leave the dorm.

As usual, Neville was waiting for her at the portrait hole and they walked down to breakfast together.

"Oh hello Ginny and Neville." Luna had drifted over to them from the Ravenclaw table.

"Hi Luna." Ginny half waved at her with a piece of toast decorated with a crispy slice of bacon, and then swore loudly as the bacon dropped to the floor.

"Put milk on the toast before you put the bacon on," advised Luna casually.

Ginny opted for the syrup instead.

"I have Potions with you today," said Luna to Ginny.

"Really?" Ginny inquired disbelievingly. "We always had it with the Slytherins before."

"There are a lot less people taking potions in sixth year," Luna reminded Ginny. "Harry had one or two other people from each house in his Potions class last year, remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Ginny, her mind drifting towards the other things that Harry had told her concerning Potions the previous year.

"Oh, and the sixth and seventh year Gryffindors and Slytherins will be having Defence together, and the sixth and seventh year Ravenclaws will have Defence with the Hufflepuffs."

"How do you know that?" Neville's pumpkin juice wobbled dangerously in his hand. "I mean, I know the sixth and seventh year Gryffindors have Muggle Studies together, so the Carrows are probably too lazy to separate us, but how do you know the Slytherins will be doing Defence with us?"

"Oh, I think I heard professor Flitwick say something to professor Slughorn last night." Luna dreamily leaned over to pour herself some tea, earning frowns from the other Gryffindors. She ignored them and simply plopped down in a chair next to Ginny. "That Alecto Carrow is a horrible woman, isn't she?"

It didn't take much to coax Ginny and Neville to embark on a tirade about Alecto Carrow and their Muggle Studies class of the day before. Even Seamus leaned across the table to contribute his version of the story, although according to him, Neville had had to duel Alecto Carrow before she let him leave for the hospital wing. Ginny rolled her eyes at Seamus, but Neville looked rather pleased with himself and kept inexplicably shooting glances at the end of the table, where Parvati and Lavender were having a spirited conversation with Cormac McLaggen.

"So we seem to have Potions first," Ginny said, glancing at her time table. "Good thing Harry told me about the spells he had to learn last year."

In actual fact, Ginny had just remembered that Harry had confided in her where he had hidden the Potions book that he had used the previous year. It was in the room of requirement, and you had to walk up and down in front of it and request a place to hide something. He couldn't tell her the exact row of junk in which he had put it, but he had mentioned that it was in a cabinet. Ginny resolved to search for it directly after breakfast, as they had a free period before class.

Soon after, Luna excused herself to rush off to the bathroom before their first class, and Ginny waved goodbye to Neville and Seamus.

Walking up to the seventh floor, she started pacing back and forth in front of the stretch of wall behind which the room of requirement waited to be called into existence.

After her third walk past, mentally asking to see the place where things were hidden, Ginny stopped and turned to face a large door that had appeared in the wall. Reaching out, she opened it and stepped inside.

It was just as Harry had described. A high ceilinged room with windows that looked as if they belonged in a cathedral. Walls and walls of junk stretched as far as Ginny's eyes could see.

Closing the door carefully behind her, she started walking between the isles composed of strange objects, searching for a likely looking cabinet. There was the old vanishing cabinet, which had been the entrance point of the death eaters the previous year and the reason that Dumbledore had died. Ginny gave it a hard kick as she passed, wishing she could break it completely. Although, she suddenly realised, perhaps this cabinet could come in handy if they ever needed a place to escape out of. And if it led to London… a vista of new possibilities flashed through her mind, from trips to Fred and George's shop to collect things they could use in the DA to a method of sending secret messages to the order. But was it possible that the death eaters had forgotten all about it? Perhaps they had disabled it again somehow. Would they really be so careless as to leave it there without making sure it was guarded somehow? Perhaps they had a guard stationed at the other end in Borgin and Burkes.

Deciding to investigate the possibilities of the cabinet more closely at a later stage, Ginny hurried on between crates and dusty boxes, bottles filled with strange looking liquids, cloaks and rusting swords until she spotted a second cabinet that looked as if it had been damaged by acid. She rushed towards it and swung open the door.

The first thing Ginny saw was a cage containing the skeleton of something that she didn't want to speculate about. Gingerly shifting it a little, she groped behind it. Her fingers closed on what felt like a book. She pulled it out with a satisfied grin and confirmed that it was indeed a Potions book. Where it would have repulsed others, it gave Ginny great pleasure to think that she would be obtaining even better Potions marks than she usually did with the help of a man who probably wished her and her family nothing but ill.

Getting to her feet, she closed the cabinet. There was a bust of an old warlock on top of it, with an ugly wig and a tarnished tiara perched on its head.

Ginny grinned again. Harry must have put it there as a place marker, just in case he needed to find the book again. She reached out and lifted the tarnished tiara off the bust. Glancing down at it, she saw a few scratches that could be writing, but squint as she might; she couldn't quite make out what it said. Perhaps she should be fitted for glasses like Harry, she thought ruefully. It was also very discoloured, but Ginny quite liked its delicate design.

She placed it back on the warlock's head, and stuffing the book into her bag, she turned to leave. But something made her turn again and reach out for the tiara. She couldn't imagine how it could come in useful, but perhaps she could find some time to polish it and try to make out the words etched on it. Concealing it within her robes, she quickly walked back through the rows of junk towards the door.

As Luna had predicted, a few people from each house were taking the sixth year Potions class. Ginny and Richie were the only two Gryffindors, although Colin probably would have taken Potions had he been present, thought Ginny. Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein were the other Ravenclaws present besides Luna, and to Ginny's annoyance, Zacharias Smith also seemed to have achieved the necessary mark. The Slytherins were a tall boy called Larry Runcorn and a thin weedy one called Timothy Moskowitz.

Ginny dropped down next to Luna and immediately confided her thoughts on the vanishing cabinet to her. She had told Luna about the halfblood prince's book before, but had decided not to mention that it had belonged to Snape.

To Ginny's delight, Slughorn showed them the same Potions that he had shown Harry's class the year before and asked them to brew the draft of living death, and said that the best would win a bottle of Felix Felicis as a reward.

Opening the book and flicking through to where the potion's instructions were written, Ginny saw the scribbles in the margins that Harry had spoken of.

"Luna, I can't read this," she hissed.

"But professor Slughorn will become suspicious if I keep reading you instructions," Luna whispered back.

"I just want the Felix for you, Neville and I to use when we do DA stuff," Ginny assured Luna. "You can do it."

"Really?" Luna's face split into a wide grin.

"Yeah, now shhh…" Ginny passed Luna the book under the desk and retrieved her own Potions book from her bag.

After half an hour, Slughorn moved around the class to inspect their potions. Ginny's heart was beating fast. What if he got suspicious when he saw Luna's perfect potion? What were the chances of Slughorn having a brilliant potion maker in his class for two consecutive years?

Not being a bad potion maker herself and having stolen glances at what Luna was doing, Ginny had brewed a passible potion which Slughorn complimented loudly when he got to her table. Moving on to Luna, however, his eyes widened in surprise.

"What is your name again, my dear?" he asked.

"Luna Lovegood, Sir," she replied nervously.

"Well, miss Lovegood, yours is certainly the best brewed potion in today's class!" Slughorn beamed at her. "There is one tiny ingredient that you didn't chop quite finely enough, but I think we can overlook that for today, don't you think?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Luna in surprise. As Slughorn's back was turned as he went to fetch a small bottle of Felix Felicis from his desk, Luna whispered, "I did that on purpose. I thought it shouldn't look too much like Harry's potion."

"You genius!" Ginny whispered back excitedly. "But you know, that could have backfired and spoiled your whole potion."

"No it wouldn't have," said Luna matter of factly. "I got outstanding for my OWL. I understand what effect things have on potions."

She said this as if she were merely commenting on the weather, but Ginny could determine a faint note of pride in her friend's voice that she hadn't often heard before. This was one of the times that she lived up to the Ravenclaw name.

"Well done!" whispered Ginny, as Slughorn returned.

He passed Luna the little bottle, and she tucked it into her robes as Slughorn dismissed the class.

"Miss Weasley! Miss Lovegood! A moment please." Slughorn stopped them just as they were about to leave the class.

"Yes Sir," said Ginny, her heart pounding fast again.

"Don't look so alarmed!" He boomed jovially. "I was merely going to invite you and miss Lovegood over here to attend the first Slug Club party on Friday night! A welcome back to school celebration, as it were."

"Thank you Sir, we'd love to," Ginny gave a relieved smile.

"Ooo yes, that would be lovely, Sir!" Luna seemed more excited than Ginny felt.

"Keep a lookout for my invitation then!" said Slughorn happily, ushering them out of the class.

Ginny had completely forgotten about the Slug Club, what with all the changes and the new things to worry about. She had to remind herself that certain parts of life went on as usual, despite the addition of the Carrows and the absence of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and muggleborns from the school.

"What did you smell in the Amortentia," asked Luna, as they were about to go their separate ways.

"Um, the smell of the ground after it rains," began Ginny, "Harry's shampoo," she blushed a bright red, "Mum's ginger biscuits, and …" she broke off.

"What?" asked Luna curiously.

"Ink," said Ginny, casting her eyes to the ground.

"That's not so bad," said Luna.

"I have to go, or I'll be late," said Ginny. She waved, and hurried away.

Only when she had rounded the corner did she remember that she hadn't asked Luna what she could smell. It would probably be something strange that existed only in Luna's mind, she thought. But why had Luna's question upset her so much?

She hadn't been entirely truthful about the last scent, she admitted to herself. But she couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was. All she knew was that it upset her. Why should she be upset by a smell that she liked?

She arrived at the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom before she could continue her train of thought. Everyone was already inside and sitting at desks, except Amycus Carrow.

Ginny heaved a sigh of relief. Hurrying towards the seat she saw Neville saving for her, she decided to ask his opinion about the vanishing cabinet too. She hadn't mentioned the tiara to Luna. For some reason, she didn't feel like mentioning it to Neville either. It would remain her harmless secret, for now.


End file.
